Gemcamp Laboratories

🎄 Wishing Everyone a Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year! 🎄

(Our laboratory services and facebook messaging portal will be temporarily closed until January 12th as our team will be out of the country for this holiday season.)

The Vanderbilt Sapphire led Phillips’ Geneva Jewels Auction: V, where the Vanderbilt Family Jewels achieved four times their low estimate. The sale drew over 1,600 visitors and bidders from 44 countries, affirming the enduring allure of historic craftsmanship.

Gemcamp Laboratories: The Vanderbilt Sapphire Shines at the Phillips Geneva Jewels Auction: V At Phillips’ Geneva Jewels Auction: V on November 10, 2025, the spotlight center-focused on The Vanderbilt Sapphire.

The 140 ct. cushion-cut “Regent” diamond worth an estimated $60 million, was notably left untouched by the thieves that stole from the Louvre Museum on Sunday, October 19, 2026. This brilliant gemstone, once worn by Marie Antoinette, has long been associated with other ill-fated royals as well, stoking public speculation about a curse that follows it.

According to France’s Ministry of Culture, eight jewelry pieces were stolen in total — including necklaces, earrings, tiaras, and brooches — as reported by ‘People’. All of the stolen French crown jewels date back to the 19th century and were once owned by members of the French royal family and ruling elite. Additionally, a tiara belonging to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, was discovered damaged at the scene, indicating that as many as nine items may have been targeted overall.

The Story of the 140-Carat Diamond That Survived the Louvre Heist—and Its Mythic Curse Thieves didn’t take the 140-carat Regent Diamond during the Louvre museum heist. Here’s the story behind the supposedly cursed stone.

A glimpse into our daily work—where passion, precision, and the timeless allure of gems come together under the microscope. (*) For private gemological testing, all items are evaluated during your in-person appointment session. You may then take your items home with you at the end of the appointment, as our laboratory does not keep any client gemstones or jewelry items in storage or on-premises.

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The high-paced growth in demand for lab-grown diamonds in the recent years has led to a spike in the number of expanding producers across the globe. India’s Kira Jewels is set to become the world’s largest lab-grown diamond producer using CVD technology. At its massive Surat facility, Kira is boosting its reactors from 2,600 to 4,000, raising output from 250,000 to 350,000 polished carats per month. CEO Mehul Vaghani says demand is shifting toward larger stones (now up to 2.5 cts) and fancy shapes, with strong interest seen at recent trade shows—especially in fashion jewellery.

While many in the trade remain unsure about their feelings towards these man-made gemstones, it is becoming evident that lab-grown diamonds have indeed cornered a significant portion of today’s jewelry buying market (September | 2025).

https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/kira-lab-grown-diamond-capacity/

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(The Gemcamp Laboratories Group is an independent & impartial gemological testing institute. We do not produce or sell lab-grown diamonds. Articles posted on this topic are only for the awareness of the general jewelry buying public.)

In many parts of the world, lab-grown diamonds are now being produced in larger sizes and better clarity levels than ever before. Did you know that starting this October 2025, The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) will be changing how they grade lab-grown diamonds—moving away from the classic 4 Cs to just “Premium” or “Standard”? Meanwhile the International Gemological Institute (IGI); another one of the big three international laboratories, seems to be reaffirming its commitment to continue grading lab-grown diamonds the same way (using the 4C’s) at least for the time being.

In other related news, the World Jewellery Confederation or CIBJO (which serves as the confederation of national jewelry trade associations worldwide) is also set to reverse a decision made in 2010 - and insist that non-natural diamonds are labelled instead as 'synthetic' (similarly to how other man-made gemstones are described). This story is currently progressing as both sides of the industry are weighing in on how to most ethically handle the situation of lab-grown diamonds in our market today.

'Natural and Lab-Grown Diamonds Sent to GIA with Counterfeit Inscriptions' (excerpt from Rapaport article)

“All four diamonds were not the same natural diamonds as described in their accompanying GIA grading reports. In accordance with GIA procedures, the counterfeit inscriptions were crossed out and new report numbers were assigned. These cases highlight the importance of verifying inscription authenticity because a fraudulent inscription could be overlooked by simple visual examination.”

https://rapaport.com/news/natural-and-lab-grown-diamonds-sent-to-gia-with-counterfeit-inscriptions/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMuGbJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFGRTJoSUJ2VEVuZ1g2NFAwAR5WeE1UWTe-PhoRtyL_4bx9KTbvLiw22Zur3l_H8YGGzi29MktxgKrPVB0qOg_aem_JeHIaeM8piOtN2bKLL5xbg

Natural and Lab-Grown Diamonds Sent to GIA with Counterfeit Inscriptions Four natural and synthetic diamonds received at the GIA for updated services turned out to be imposters bearing fake inscriptions.

3 Myths About Lab-Grown Diamonds: What’s Real vs. Misunderstood. | In 2015, a 1-carat lab-grown diamond would generally cost around 10–16% less than a similarly graded natural stone. By 2020, that discount widened to about 45–55%. Fast forward to late 2024–early 2025, and the gap has further ballooned—some lab-grown diamonds now sell up to 90% cheaper (even 92–95% lower) compared to natural counterparts.

Gemcamp Laboratories: 3 Myths about Lab-Grown Diamonds Debunked or Clarified 3 Myths about Lab-Grown Diamonds Debunked or Clarified by Philippine Gemologists (G.G.)

Sapphire, the birthstone of September, is a variety of the mineral corundum, renowned for its durability (9 on the Mohs hardness scale) and vivid range of beautiful colors. While most associated with its classic cornflower and royal blue hues, sapphires can occur in nearly every color except for red (because the red variety of corundum is actually classified as ruby).

"GIA is changing the way they describe Lab Grown diamonds on their new reports in October?" - Here is a quick and mildly detailed take on it, from what we understand:

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) will introduce new grading criteria for lab-grown diamonds starting October 1, replacing traditional diamond terminology with the labels “Premium” and “Standard.” The updated system, first announced in June, bases the new classification on the lab-grown stone's clarity, color, and cut traits, with GIA explaining that descriptive terms are more appropriate since most lab-grown diamonds fall within a narrow quality range.

For lab-grown diamonds to receive a designation label of "Premium" on their printed report, they must be D-color with at least VVS clarity, excellent polish and symmetry (and for round brilliants— be of an excellent cut).

Lab-grown diamonds that would receive the designation label of "Standard" would fall within the E to J color levels and have VS clarity. They must also possess a “very good” polish, and “good” symmetry level for fancy shapes, or “very good” polish, symmetry and cut, if for round brilliants. Any LG diamond possessing a mix of both traits or criteria would default to "Standard".

(*Kindly note that this is an interpreted and summarized understanding by our independent laboratory’s staff on what we have read from GIA and other relevant trade publications on the matter. Please inquire with GIA directly for the most complete and up-to-date information.)